Trying to Find the In-Betweens
by Jack E. Peace
Summary: "Do I need an occasion to do something nice for my girlfriend?" She asks. "Plus, you've been talking pretty much nonstop about how you keep wanting to do something and 'Aubrey we only have two weeks til school and Aubrey entertain me and Aubrey you're not fun once school starts.'" Chloe rolls her eyes. "I do not sound like that." (Unabashed fluff)


**Disclaimer: **Nope. Also the title comes from the song "Young Blood" by The Naked and Famous.

**A/N: **So I feel like I should write a series of stories called "I live in Atlanta! What random stuff can I make Chloe and Aubrey do?" because apparently there's no end to the story ideas that I can get from daily life. Seriously, it's becoming a problem. I feel like I was put up to this story by thefutillitarian, who wanted an aquarium story to go with her zoo story. This story is for her, because she needed a reward and motivation.

**"Trying to Find the In-Betweens" **

Aubrey's shampooing her hair when she hears the sounds of Chloe pitching a temper tantrum drifting in through the closed bathroom door. She can't pick out the words but she can definitely tell from her girlfriend's tone that she is not a happy camper. Aubrey quickly rinses out her hair and finishes up with her shower. More than anything, she's curious about what the heck is going on. Chloe isn't the type of person that just goes on random tirades, not even if she's on the phone with someone. Aubrey wraps her body in a towel and opens the bathroom door.

"Chlo? What's the matter?" Aubrey glances around the bedroom but Chloe is no where in sight.

Chloe comes storming into the bedroom. "It's raining." She snaps. She says this in the same tone of voice that you would expect someone to use when discussing serial murderers or global warming. "Can you believe that? It's _raining_."

Aubrey purses her lips. "Well…that does happen from time to time." She says gently, trying not to sound like she's patronizing her girlfriend. "Especially in the summer."

Chloe gives her a look. "That ruins everything." She pouts. "What about the picnic? And going to the park? And the Frisbee dog show?"

"They'll have to reschedule." Aubrey points out. "So we can go another time." She kisses Chloe on the cheek. "We'll do something else. Let's go to a movie." She's not really a movie person, but she doesn't mind going to Atlantic Station for the day with her girlfriend.

But Chloe doesn't seem very interested in Aubrey's sacrifice. "I don't want to go to a movie. We only have two weeks left before school starts again. I want to do something fun and different and exciting."

Aubrey shrugs. "It's not like you're going to be shipped to Siberia or something." She points out. "You can still do fun and exciting stuff when school starts again."

"Yeah but not with you." Chloe points out. "You'll be busy with classes. And we'll both be busy with the Bellas. You know how you get when you're in school." She arches an eyebrow and dares Aubrey to protest.

"You make it sound like I never have fun." Aubrey mumbles. Chloe keeps the arched eyebrow expression on her face. "Oh, so it's a crime to take my classes seriously?"

Chloe laughs and shakes her head. "No, no. That's one of the things I love about you." She assures Aubrey, throwing her arms around her shoulders and giving her a smacking kiss. "I just think that our summer before senior year, before jobs and the real world," she makes a face, "should be fun."

"Sometimes it's fun not to do something." Aubrey points out. "To just stay in." She winks.

Chloe's eyes twinkle. "Are you propositioning me, Miss Posen?"

"I'm just saying…maybe this rain isn't so horrible after all." Aubrey leans in for a kiss, nipping Chloe's bottom lip playfully.

After that, it's not too hard to convince Chloe that they should stay in for the afternoon.

* * *

Later that night, Aubrey finds herself unable to sleep. This isn't uncommon, especially not when she's spent most of her day in bed. Chloe is sleeping softly on her stomach beside her, one hand tucked under her chin, her hair twisting wildly around her shoulders. She looks beautiful and it takes all of Aubrey's self control not to wake her up. Again.

Instead, Aubrey quietly gets out of bed and retrieves her laptop from the living room, taking it back into bed with her. She searches for _Fun Things to Do in Atlanta Over the Summer_ because she wants Chloe to be able to have those fun and memorable summer experiences that Chloe seems to want so badly.

The first suggestion on the first website she gets to is so obvious that Aubrey can't believe she didn't think of it herself. Chloe even mentioned it a few weeks ago. She smiles to herself as she starts to plan out the day. By the time she forces herself to put up the computer and cuddle next to Chloe, Aubrey is excited for tomorrow and pleased with herself.

* * *

Aubrey wakes Chloe up the following morning by peppering her face with kisses. Chloe feigns sleep just so she can get Aubrey to keep kissing her. Finally she can't fake it anymore and a grin spreads across her face. Aubrey laughs and shakes her head. "You faker." She tickles Chloe in the side. "Get up."

Chloe groans and rolls onto her back, reaching up without opening her eyes and pulling Aubrey back down onto the bed. "No, let's not. I think you were on to something yesterday." She mumbles sleepily, nuzzling against Aubrey's neck and hair.

Aubrey kisses the side of Chloe's neck. "Not today." She informs her girlfriend. "I'm going to take you on a date."

Chloe opens her eyes and gives Aubrey a curious look. "A date? But you already got me to put out."

Aubrey rolls her eyes and gives Chloe a playful swat. "Shush. Let's get dressed. We'll go out to breakfast."

"Where are we going on this so-called date?" Chloe questions. She doesn't make the move to sit up and she doesn't let Aubrey move out of her arms either.

"It's a surprise." Aubrey tells her. She sits up and pulls Chloe up with her. "Shower. Get dressed. Breakfast."

Chloe salutes. "Yes, sir." She laughs when Aubrey whacks her with a pillow as she gets out of bed. "Ouch! I don't want to go anywhere with you, bully!"

Aubrey tosses the pillow at her and Chloe catches it, sticking her tongue out at Aubrey. She throws the pillow back and then ducks into the bathroom before Aubrey can retaliate.

Aubrey rolls her eyes as she stands up and walks over to the closet. "You can run but you can't hide Beale!" She calls out tauntingly as she walks past the bathroom door. She smirks when she hears the lock click into place. Like that could really stop her if she wanted to get in.

As promising as the idea of surprising Chloe in the shower is, Aubrey doesn't want to stray too far off course. They have a schedule to stick to, after all, they don't have time for distractions.

Chloe is the queen on long showers. Aubrey first learned this little tidbit their freshmen year, when Chloe went to the community bathroom and came back forty-five minutes later. Aubrey was seriously considering mounting a search party when Chloe waltzed back into their shared dorm, humming to herself as she towel-dried her hair without a care in the world. It quickly became clear that these lengthy showers were not out of the ordinary. It should come as no surprise that Aubrey can shower, wash her hair and get dressed again in under ten minutes; she likes to stay completely focused on the task at hand. But Chloe is a daydreamer and considers the shower her "thinking space" where she can plan out essays or think about her future plans or ponder life's problems or consider what's going to happen to the doctors on _Grey's Anatomy _or just sing to herself for her own enjoyment. Aubrey is used to this by now, she even finds it a little endearing and so very Chloe. But that doesn't mean that they have time today for Chloe to work out the plot of the eighth _Harry Potter_ book.

After twenty minutes, Aubrey knocks on the door. "Did you drown? Hurry up!" She calls through the door.

"Don't rush me!" Chloe calls back. "I'm shampooing."

Aubrey rolls her eyes. "What have you _been_ doing?"

Chloe doesn't answer. Instead she just starts singing "Defying Gravity" from _Wicked _at the top of her lungs, as though that will somehow deter Aubrey's pestering questions. Aubrey just rolls her eyes again and shakes her head. Luckily, she planned for this. Chloe's shower habits have already been worked into the itinerary.

By the time Chloe emerges from the shower, Aubrey is sure that there's no hot water left in the entire apartment complex and she's also pretty sure that Chloe has gone through the entire libretto of _Wicked_ by herself. Chloe is still humming to herself as she starts blow drying her hair, ignoring Aubrey when she comes to lean against the door frame.

"What?" Chloe questions innocently once Aubrey starts tapping her foot. "I'm hurrying."

Aubrey rolls her eyes. "Right. I swear to God you're going to be late to your own funeral."

Chloe grins at Aubrey's reflection. "You won't tell me where we're going, so how am I supposed to know if we're going to be late or not?" She questions. Then her smile starts to disappear. "Wait, was that a thinly-veiled threat against my life?"

Aubrey picks up the towel Chloe had been using to dry her hair (which she unceremoniously dumped on the bathroom floor) and snaps it at Chloe. The blonde steps out of the way, sticking her tongue out at Aubrey. "Just hurry and you won't have to find out." Aubrey retorts.

"Stop distracting me." Chloe pushes the door closed and Aubrey rolls her eyes. "I can still feel you standing there!" The redhead calls from the other side, earning yet another eye roll.

Aubrey hangs the towel up on the edge of the door (not ideal, but it'll do in a pinch) and walks into the living room. She pours herself a mug of coffee and fills a to-go cup for Chloe as well. She taps her fingers on the counter as she listens to the continuing sound of the hairdryer. Seriously, Chloe doesn't even have that much hair. Now she's just being petulant.

But Aubrey realizes that the anger and annoyance aren't really there. More than anything, she's amused. Chloe is probably the only person alive who has the ability to both infuriate and charm her simultaneously. She figures that it's the three years of living together that makes dealing with Chloe's little quirks easy. But Aubrey also knows that it's more than that. It's the love she feels for Chloe as a friend and confidant and the growing love that she feels for her as a girlfriend and partner. That love makes it easy for her to put up with Chloe's lengthy showers and teasing and her other idiosyncrasies. It makes her want to be around Chloe always and see what else there is to learn.

Finally Chloe comes out of the bedroom, dressed and ready to go. "So where are we going?" She questions as she follows Aubrey out of the apartment and down the stairs toward the parking lot. "Can't you just tell me?"

Aubrey shrugs. "To breakfast. And to do other stuff."

"I thought you hated surprises."

"No, I hate _being_ surprised." Aubrey corrects. "Surprising you is fun."

Chloe frowns. "What's the occasion?"

Aubrey arches an eyebrow. "Do I need an occasion to do something nice for my girlfriend?" She asks. "Plus, you've been talking pretty much nonstop about how you keep wanting to do something and 'Aubrey we only have two weeks til school and Aubrey entertain me and Aubrey you're not fun once school starts.'" Aubrey mimics as they get into her car.

Chloe rolls her eyes. "I do not sound like that." She protests. "And I'm pretty sure I never said 'entertain me.'"

"I think the part you were supposed to disagree with was the me not being fun part." Aubrey remarks.

Chloe shrugs. "Well…" Aubrey swats her shoulder. "Ouch, okay, okay! You're the funnest."

"That's not a word." Chloe gives Aubrey a look that seems to say _see my point? _Aubrey just shakes her head. "Where do you want to go for breakfast?"

"What about that French place you like?" Chloe suggests. "Is it close to where we're going?"

Aubrey thinks it over. "It's not too far."

"Ah ha! So we're definitely going some place close and in the city." Chloe deduces, nodding and clearly pleased with herself.

Aubrey laughs and shakes her head. "It's not even that big of a deal. Just stop trying to figure it out. If you keep building it up in your head, you're just bound to be disappointed."

Chloe reaches out and takes Aubrey's hand, even though she knows it bugs Aubrey not to have both hands on the wheel. Not that Aubrey ever pulls her hand away. "I won't be. We're spending the day together, aren't we? What more do I need?"

Aubrey smiles but doesn't say anything. Sometimes she's not sure what to say because she's not entirely sure that all of this is real. She's still waiting for the day when she wakes up and realizes that she's made it all up: Chloe, their relationship, the Bellas, everything. Everything being a figment of her imagination would at least make sense to her. She still can't figure out how she's convinced someone like Chloe that she's worth her time.

They go to Aubrey's favorite breakfast place and order enough food between the two of them to feed the half the people in the restaurant. If there's one thing that Aubrey is decisive about, it's breakfast foods, mainly because her obsession with pancakes often prohibits her from ordering anything else, which means that she just ends up eating off Chloe's plate. Which means that by now Chloe has learned to order for two. That way, Aubrey gets her pancakes and everyone is happy.

The conversation is easy, just like it always is. They talk about the final classes they need for their majors and Chloe rhapsodies about their plans following graduation. But there are gaps in their conversation, things deliberately left unsaid. Mentions of Aubrey's parents or of the upcoming Bellas recruitment and acapella season. Things they've learned are better not to bring up. Things that Aubrey likes to pretend aren't always lurking in the back of her mind.

After breakfast, it's back to the car and once they start driving again, it doesn't take Chloe long to realize where they're going.

"Oh my God! The aquarium!" Chloe claps her hands together. "I wasn't going to bring it up again because I figured you'd had enough of seeing animals after the zoo."

Aubrey shrugs. "I like animals. Even though there aren't any cuddly red pandas here."

"But there are otters. And sea turtles. And seals. And dolphins." Chloe points out, as though this will make up for the lack of red pandas. "This is going to be so fun. I haven't been since they opened the dolphin exhibit."

Aubrey starts to tell Chloe that she's never been before but given the way that Chloe reacted to the news that she'd never been to the zoo, she thinks better of it. She's pretty sure that Chloe can infer that all on her own anyway. When would she have been to the aquarium? Her parents didn't put importance on things like that; she's been to every Ivy League campus and law library in the continental U.S. but aquariums, zoos and other normal kid activities…not so much.

They get to the aquarium and join the dozens of other cars in the massive parking deck and walk down several flights of stairs to the ground level, with Chloe chattering all the while about the exhibits and animals located just inside the building.

"I spent a while on the website last night." Aubrey says as they stand in line to buy their tickets. "I tried to plan out a schedule that would allow us to see all the animals and see the dolphin show as well. If we move systematically from one section to the next, we'll save time."

Chloe opens her mouth to protest, then thinks better of it and just purses her lips. If planning everything down to the second will make her first trip to the aquarium more entertaining and bearable for Aubrey, than Chloe can live with that. Aubrey is spontaneous in her own way, it just looks different on her than it does on other people. But if she were like other people, than she wouldn't be Aubrey and Aubrey is who Chloe wants.

After they buy their tickets, they join the line of people waiting to be photographed by the aquarium entrance. Aubrey tries to protest and circumvent that line to just go into the aquarium but Chloe insists that they have to get their picture taken. Right as the flash goes off, Chloe gives Aubrey a kiss on the cheek, catching her by surprise. She laughs and shakes her head. "I'm sure you ruined the picture." She points out, as she takes the card with information about viewing and ordering the picture from the photographer.

"Or did I make it awesome?" Chloe questions, raising an eyebrow. "Only time will tell."

In order to walk into the aquarium itself, they have to walk through a narrow hallway with two giant fish tanks on both sides. There are dozens of tuna inside, swimming in circles over and over again, from one tank to the next, their fins flapping languidly as they move. A half dozen children have their faces pressed against the glass and there are several people who have apparently decided that giant fish swimming around is worth taking pictures of.

"Do you think they get tired of this?" Aubrey questions as they pause momentarily to study the fish. "Just swimming back and forth?"

Chloe shrugs, a little surprised by Aubrey's question. Her girlfriend isn't normally one for philosophical thinking involving members of the animal kingdom. "I think I read somewhere that gold fish have no long term memory; they forget things almost as soon as they happen."

"These aren't gold fish." Aubrey points out. "I'm actually not sure what they are…" She studies the fish thoughtfully. "Just going in circles." She mumbles.

Chloe gets the feeling that she's not just talking about the fish anymore. "They're just going with the flow." She tries to put a positive spin on things.

One fish breaks away from the rest of the school and starts swimming in the opposite direction, seemingly unbothered by all the fishy bodies around it. Aubrey smirks. "And I think we just found the Chloe fish." She teases.

"It's like you've been reading my old elementary school report cards." Chloe says as they move out of the hallway and toward the heart of the aquarium. "'Chloe marches to the beat of her own drum.'"

"That doesn't surprise me at all." Aubrey remarks. That definitely sounds like the Chloe that she knows.

The aquarium is bustling with people; apparently everyone else in Atlanta shares Chloe's desire to do something more than just sit around for the last two weeks of summer vacation. Off to the left is the large "petting zoo" featuring small sharks and sting rays and starfish and there are people gathered around, jockeying for space around the tank. Aubrey has absolutely no desire to crowd in with all of those people and stick her hands into that fishy water. She's never really been that curious as to what a stingray feels like anyway.

There are several different exhibits spread throughout the massive aquarium and there's a flight of stairs leading up to the brand new level featuring the dolphin tanks. Looking around the semi-circle of exhibits, Aubrey is glad that she did her research. Otherwise it would all be a little overwhelming.

But Chloe doesn't seem daunted at all. "We should start over there." She points to the "Cold Water Quest" exhibit right in the middle. "That's where the sea otters and other cute animals are."

"Or we could go in order." Aubrey argues. "So we don't miss anything."

Again, Chloe agrees because there's really nothing wrong with Aubrey's suggestion. They're going to see all the animals anyway. It's probably best to save the otters for later anyway; build up the anticipation and all that.

So they head to the exhibit featuring animals commonly found off the Georgia coast. Aubrey is relieved when Chloe doesn't even glance over at the petting tank; she really wasn't looking forward to listing the litany of things wrong with that exhibit.

The most notable creature in the Georgia coast exhibit is the single sea turtle, who hangs around the bottom of the tank and occasionally swims over to the glass. Every time the turtle comes around, everyone's cameras go crazy snapping pictures.

"Do you think the animals have names?" Chloe questions. "Or do you think the aquarium people don't name them because they want to, like, respect the animals' wild natures or something."

Aubrey arches an eyebrow. "Well…I don't know about respecting the wild natures, whatever that means, but they probably do name them. Otherwise it might be confusing to have to feed them or take care of them if they get sick. Or maybe they just call them like Whale Shark One or Whale Shark Three." Only Chloe would wonder about the naming of the aquarium animals. Chloe seems to have a strange desire to want to name every living thing in the apartment (plus a few inanimate objects). One of the housewarming gifts given to them by Chloe's mother was a cactus that Chloe decided to name "Bug," something that Aubrey has yet to understand.

"His name should be Henry." Chloe says when the sea turtle comes swimming by again. "He looks like a Henry."

"He looks like a sea turtle." Aubrey retorts.

Chloe wrinkles her nose. "You're no fun."

"That's not what you said earlier." Aubrey points out as they move around to look at all the other animals. For some odd reason, there are more "petting zoo" tanks in this room as well. "I believe your exact words were 'the funnest.'"

Chloe scoffs. "Um, that's not a word Bree. Why would I use incorrect grammar?"

"Oh whatever." Aubrey laughs, giving Chloe a playful shove. "You're the worst."

"Well, if you think that's bad, you're really going to hate this." Chloe predicts, right before sticking her fingers in one of the petting tanks and then flicking the water toward Aubrey.

Aubrey lets out a squeal and tries to move out of the way, but the damage is already done. "Chloe!" She quickly wipes the water off her face. "Gross! Do you know how many diseases are in that water?! What even lives in there?" She questions, wiping her face again for good measure.

"Um…looks like some kind of shrimp." Chloe smirks as she looks into the tank. "Gross, disgusting, diseased shrimp." She taunts.

"They're crawfish." One of the aquarium employees chimes in helpfully, a smile on his face.

Chloe looks back at Aubrey and smiles innocently. "Crawfish." She says, as though that's the only logical answer.

Aubrey narrows her eyes at Chloe. "I can't believe you did that." She feels the need to take a really hot shower. Even though, in all honesty, Chloe didn't even get that much water on her. "I'm probably going to get some sort of crawfish disease and die."

"You can flick water on me too. Then we'll both get the disease and die together." Chloe suggests with a shrug.

Aubrey takes one look at the pool and quickly rules that out. There's no way she's sticking her fingers in there; she's had enough contact with nature. "I would never do that." She says haughtily. "I wouldn't want to condemn you to death by crawfish disease. Everyone knows it's a horrible, painful and lengthy death."

Chloe laughs and gives Aubrey a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Has anyone ever told you that you have a flare for the dramatic?" She teases. "Crawfish disease." She rolls her eyes.

Aubrey tickles Chloe in the sides and she jumps back, giggling. "Let's go to an exhibit that doesn't feature things you can touch." She suggests, reaching out and taking Chloe's hand. "I'm not sure I can trust you."

Chloe feigns hurt. "Bree, I would _never_."

"You just did." Aubrey arches an eyebrow. "You're untrustworthy and unreliable." She blanches when she realizes that her words have just echoed some of the last words that Alice ever said to Chloe. Right before everything went to shit at Lincoln Center. "Sorry."

"For what?" Aubrey can tell but Chloe's overly innocent tone that she's just feigning ignorance to avoid bringing up Alice or any conversation topics that have to do with the Bellas. Aubrey gives her an _I'm not buying it _look and Chloe just shrugs. "Please, I hardly ever think about Alice or that day." She waves her hand dismissively. "Water under the bridge."

Before Aubrey can protest and assure her that it is most definitely not going to be water under the bridge once it comes time to recruit new Bellas, Chloe pulls her toward the next habitat. The exhibit, not so creatively titled River Scout, features fake boulders and trees with low hanging fake moss and dim lighting that Aubrey assumes is supposed to make you feel like you're in some sort of sultry rain forest. The hoards of children and other tourists running all over and crowding around the glass definitely shatters that illusion though.

Toward the beginning of the exhibit is a large tank full of crocodiles, including a few that are completely white. Chloe grimaces when they get close to the animals. "You know what I really don't like? Reptiles." She shudders. "I hate them. These monsters have just awoken a fear in me that I didn't know I had."

Aubrey laughs and shakes her head. "Now who's being dramatic? They're just animals. They're not even particularly aggressive."

Chloe gives her girlfriend a doubtful look. "Okay, sure. Look at those teeth." She jabs her finger against the glass. "They look particularly aggressive to me."

Aubrey grabs Chloe's hand once more and pulls her away from the glass. "C'mon. Let's find you something with fur to look at."

"Yes, now you're talking." Chloe nods. "Something cuddly."

They walk past a tank containing a large school of piranhas and another with a few electric eels. Chloe makes a face again. "Remind me never to go to the jungle." She mutters.

Finally they reach the tank containing the Asian River Otters. These are much more Chloe's style. There are about ten of the little animals on the other side of the glass; some of them are sleeping in a heap and a few are frolicking around on their rocky habitat while the others swim and dive in the water. It should come as no surprise that there's a huge crowd gathered around the glass; everyone ooh's and ah's whenever one of the little creatures does something adorable.

It should also come as no surprise that Chloe manages to muscle her way right up to the glass, pulling Aubrey along with her. Aubrey steps out of the way to let a little girl stand close to glass; Aubrey opts to stand behind Chloe instead, glad for that inch and a half of height that separates them and makes it easy for her to see over her girlfriend's head.

"I think these might be cuter than red pandas." Chloe remarks as she watches the river otters chase each other around on the rocks.

"I think you might be crazy." Aubrey retorts, giving Chloe an incredulous look. "There is nothing cuter than a red panda. Well, no animal." She amends.

It amazes Aubrey how Chloe can spend the entirety of her waking hours bouncing around from project to project, seemingly lacking the ability to sit still, and yet stand perfectly still and watches animals sleep and swim around and play until Aubrey has to forcibly remove her. Which is exactly what happens, in spite of Chloe's protests. "We still have other animals to see." Aubrey remarks as she finally tugs her girlfriend away from the river otters. "What about the seals? And the dolphins?"

Chloe pouts. "But they're so cute. I just can't stand it." But she follows Aubrey through the rest of the exhibit, which doesn't contain any more adorable or cuddly animals. "We should just sit and watch the otters."

"Then we won't get to see any of the other animals." Aubrey points out. "And we won't stick to our system."

"We don't always have to have a system." Chloe remarks. "We can just do whatever we feel like."

Aubrey purses her lips. If they just hang around one particular cage for too long, then they won't get to see every animal. And if they don't get to see every animal, then this aquarium visit won't have been a success. Aubrey feels a prickle of anxiety just thinking about it. "I feel like having a system." She informs Chloe.

Chloe comes from a big family. She has an older sister and two younger brothers and her family likes to take at least one big family vacation each summer. The words 'plan' or 'system' aren't really part of the Beale vocabulary; Chloe's mother has a habit of joking that she's impressed every time they get somewhere and all the kids are still together. When they came to the aquarium as a family one of her brothers ran in one direction and the other took off in an opposite direction and the rest of the visit was spent running from place to place and looking at the animals along the way. But Chloe knows that Aubrey's dedication to planning and order and rigidity are a product of her upbringing, as much as Chloe's go-with-the-flow mentality is a part of hers. Aubrey needs that control more than Chloe needs to spend ten more minutes looking at the river otters. And so, it's not really a tough decision to let Aubrey continue to lead the way according to whatever plan she's devised.

The next exhibit is the Cold Water Quest (seriously, Aubrey has no idea who came up with these names), which is the exhibit that Chloe wanted to start with because it features all her favorite animals. Most notably, the sea otters who are larger and, in her opinion, much cuter than the river otters they just looked at. There's also a huge tank featuring three beluga whales and a few seals that just swim endless loops and what cold water exhibit wouldn't be complete without penguins.

Unfortunately before they can get to the penguins or the belugas or the otters, they have to pass a tank full of the biggest crabs that Chloe has ever seen her life. They're about three times the size of the cat that she had when she was growing up and much more intimidating.

"I really don't like the idea of swimming in the same ocean as these things." Aubrey remarks as they stand by the glass, a little in awe of the giant crabs that are meandering around the bottom of the tank.

"Do you do a lot of swimming in the Arctic, Bree?" Chloe questions with a smirk.

Aubrey rolls her eyes. "You know what I mean. These things are huge. Like nuclear radiation huge." She shakes her head. "I'm starting to feel woefully uneducated about sea life. You tainted my view of ocean animals when you made me watch _Finding Nemo_ with you."

"You liked _Finding Nemo_, don't even act like you didn't." Chloe says as they finally leave the crabs behind. She's fine with pretending like things like that just don't exist.

The rest of the animals are much more enjoyable to look at. They end up spending twenty minutes by the beluga tank because Aubrey starts talking to one of the aquarium employees, pestering the woman with all kinds of questions about the whales like she's writing some sort of desertion on them or something. Chloe eventually walks away, leaving Aubrey to her questioning, and goes to stand by the glass, watching the seals as they zip through the water.

For once, it's Chloe who forces Aubrey to move along; she doesn't even bother to question Aubrey about her sudden interest in beluga whales. She's seen her friend exhibit this sort of behavior before. Anytime she finds a subject that she's not particularly knowledgeable in she dedicates herself to learning everything she can about it. Chloe has seen it before with midwifery, the Silk Road and the life and poetry of Sylvia Plath, among other things. Chloe's pretty sure that she can still recite a number of Plath's poems from memory thanks to Aubrey's two week long dedication to learning everything that she possibly could about the poet. Just because she wanted to. Now, apparently, she's committed to becoming an expert on beluga whales. Maybe she'll discover an interest in marine biology and finally give up on the idea of following in her father's footsteps and becoming a lawyer.

They look at the penguins and the sea horses and the octopus that slowly crawls from one end of the tank to the next and then finally make it to the sea otters. There are four otters in the large tank and Chloe is pretty sure that's way too much cuteness for one person to be able to withstand at one time. Especially because one of the otters is playing with a rubber ball and looking just as happy as can be.

"You know what we should do?" Chloe questions, leaning against the railing around the tank. "We should open our own zoo."

Aubrey gives Chloe a confused look. "Why would we want to do that?"

"Because then we would get to play with the animals all day and we could pet them. Don't you want to pet a sea otter, Bree? Or a red panda? It would be the best job ever." Chloe points this out like it should be the most obvious thing in the entire world. "We could be like those people in _We Bought a Zoo_!"

Aubrey rolls her eyes. "Did it look like they were having a lot of fun?" She questions. "Running a zoo is expensive and there's a lot more to do than just playing with the animals. You actually have to take care of them and some of them are dangerous and you have to-"

"Okay, fine." Chloe interrupts. "No zoo. Jeez. Everything is always so practical with you." She means those words to come out teasingly but it sounds much more like a jab that Chloe intended.

Aubrey huffs out a breath as she follows Chloe away from the sea otter exhibit. "Yes. Being practical is not a bad thing. Being practical is what keeps you from investing all your money in buying a zoo and keeps you from waking up one day realizing that you're completely bankrupt and your life is ruined."

"But then you never have any fun." Chloe protests as they walk out of the cold water exhibit and back to the center of the aquarium.

Aubrey crosses her arms over her chest. "Life isn't always about fun, Chloe." She points out. "You just have to figure out how to balance being practical with having fun." Aubrey is pretty sure that mastering this concept is the real secret of life.

Chloe rolls her eyes. "But _you_ never have any fun." She mutters before she can convince herself otherwise.

Aubrey's brow knits and she looks away from Chloe. "I have fun." She protests. "I'm having fun right now."

Chloe arches an eyebrow. "Really? Because I feel like you're too busy being focused on keeping up whatever crazy schedule that you've come up with to actually have fun."

Aubrey opens her mouth to argue but then thinks better of it. Instead, she just starts walking across the center of the aquarium toward the exhibit cattycorner to the Cold Water Quest. Chloe furrows her brow, confused. Then she just follows after Aubrey, who has disappeared into the exhibit featuring tropical and brightly colored fish and plants.

Even though this is one of Chloe's personal favorite exhibits, it's almost completely empty. People seem to be more interested in seeing the cute, cuddly animals or the larger-than-life creatures like the whale sharks or the manta rays. Chloe passes by the jellyfish tanks and the Spotted Garden Eels and seahorses, looking for Aubrey. She finally finds her in the large, auditorium style room that features a floor to ceiling aquarium with dozens of different types of fish and coral, all coexisting peacefully like Chloe imagines they would if they were really out in a coral reef somewhere. This room is the reason that she loves this exhibit so much. It's so easy to just sit around and watch the fish; everything is quiet and peaceful and Chloe always finds herself relaxing as soon as she walks into the room. The room has stadium style seats, but instead there being row after row of individual seating, the rows are long and flat, so you could sit hip to hip with the person next to you if you wanted.

Aubrey is sitting on the edge of one of the rows, her arms crossed over her chest and an annoyed look on her face. She looks the farthest thing from relaxed at the moment. The room is almost completely empty; there's an older couple sitting at the edge of one of the rows above where Aubrey is currently sitting and there are two little girls sitting right against the glass, watching the fish with mesmerized expressions on their faces.

Chloe sits down beside Aubrey but the blonde does nothing to acknowledge her presence. Well, two can play that game. Chloe focuses her attention on the wall of fish swimming around in front of them. She's never been scuba diving or snorkeling or anything like that, but she imagines that being able to sit here, in this room, is so much better than doing those things. Because she gets to see the reef and the fish without disturbing them; it's like being privy to some secret part of nature.

"We weren't supposed to come here until the very end." Aubrey says finally, her tone slightly sullen. "See. I can deviate from my schedule."

"It's okay to not always have a schedule." Chloe says. "It's okay to just…do something."

Aubrey looks over at her. "But that's how something goes wrong."

Chloe rolls her eyes. "We're just at the aquarium Bree."

"That's not what I'm talking about." Aubrey retorts. "If you don't have a schedule or a plan then something could go wrong and you end up disappointing everyone. You have a plan, you stick to it, you achieve your goal. Everything is fine."

"You can't plan for everything." Chloe says gently. She reaches out to take Aubrey's hand.

But Aubrey pulls away. "Yes, you can." She snaps. "You _can_. You factor in every possible scenario, every element, you practice, you get it perfect. The only thing you can't factor in is me." And suddenly, it's like Aubrey just deflates. Her shoulders slump and she bows her head, burying her face in her hands. But she doesn't cry. She refuses to cry.

Chloe puts her arm around Aubrey's shoulders and this time Aubrey doesn't move away. Chloe is too afraid to say anything for risk of losing this moment. Aubrey hasn't directly mentioned what happened at Lincoln Center since they left Barden back in May. She's given up on pestering her friend to talk about it, to open up about what she's feeling. Chloe doesn't want to say something that will change Aubrey's mind about opening up now.

"I ruined everything." Aubrey says softly without lifting her head. "The Bellas are ruined because of me. No one is going to want to audition. It's over."

"Don't say that Bree." Chloe chides gently. "You can't predict the future. As much as you like to think that you can." She teases, giving Aubrey a kiss on the cheek. "Everything is going to be okay."

Aubrey lifts her head and looks at Chloe. "You don't know that. You can't possibly know that."

Chloe shrugs. "Everything always has a way of working itself out."

Aubrey rolls her eyes. "You sound like a fortune cookie." She mutters. "But not everything works itself out. Not everything turns out okay."

"And _that's_ okay too." Chloe says, reaching for Aubrey's hand once more. This time she twines their fingers together. "You can't keep carrying this weight Bree. You're going to go crazy."

"Everything that happened is my fault." Aubrey says simply. "I have to make things right. And I will. I have a plan."

Chloe rolls her eyes. "Of course you do. And what, exactly, is this plan of yours?"

"It's very detailed. There are multiple steps. There's a diagram. I'll give you a copy." Aubrey tells Chloe. Chloe can't tell if she's joking but, knowing Aubrey, she probably isn't. "But do you know what the most crucial part of the plan is? Having my co-captain there with me. I can't do this without you, Chloe."

Chloe doesn't say anything right away. She wonders what would happen if she refused, if she forced Aubrey to take a step back and stop beating herself up. If she said _no, you can't do this to yourself _or if she said _this is _not_ your fault, I won't let you keep taking the blame_. But Chloe knows that she can't make Aubrey absolve herself of whatever it is that she thinks she's done wrong. She can't force Aubrey to change her way of thinking. How do you tell your friend, the person that you are falling in love with, that you won't help them? Chloe can't predict the future any more than Aubrey believes that she can. She doesn't have a plan for everything, she doesn't have her life plotted out on a diagram in her mind. She can't see how this obsession of Aubrey's, this need to prove herself whatever the cost, might tear them apart in the future. All she can see is how refusing to help Aubrey in this moment could tear them apart now.

"You don't have to worry about that." Chloe assures Aubrey. "It's what I'm here for."

Aubrey smiles in relief and gives her a kiss, pressing their foreheads together for the briefest of moments. Chloe wants to put her arms around Aubrey, to hold her close so that nothing else matters.

But Aubrey moves away before she can. "We should go. We still have other exhibits to see and-"

Aubrey starts to get up but Chloe pulls her back down again. "Let's just stay here for a while." She suggests. "Let's just enjoy where we are now."

Chloe lays down on her back and the fish and the reef seem to be above her, like she's on the bottom of the ocean floor watching everything going on around her. Her brothers teased her endlessly for doing this the last time they were here but she didn't care. She didn't care if people thought she was weird for laying on her back in the middle of the exhibit. In her opinion, it's the best way to watch the fish.

Aubrey hesitates and then lays down beside her, reaching for her hand and linking their pinkies together. Chloe smiles.

They stay like that for several minutes, watching the colorful fish swim and dart around in their artificial habitat. Chloe yawns and Aubrey rolls her eyes. "You tired, Chlo?" She questions in a slightly teasing tone.

Chloe wrinkles her nose. "It's not my fault. It's relaxing." She protests.

"Well, maybe if we weren't laying on the floor…" Aubrey points out but Chloe refuses to see the logic in that statement.

"You can't deny that this is the best way to watch the fish." Chloe arches an eyebrow, daring Aubrey to refute her words.

Aubrey looks like she's going to do exactly that but something else catches her attention. "Look, Nemo!" She points to one of the fish as it goes swimming back. A huge grin starts to spread across Chloe's face and Aubrey feels herself blush and she clears her throat. "I mean, look, a clownfish."

Chloe laughs and shakes her head as she sits up. "Well, congratulations Aubrey, you found Nemo." She pushes her hair away from her face and smiles at her girlfriend. "Everyone can finally give up the search."

Aubrey rolls her eyes. "Don't make fun of me. I wouldn't have even watched that movie if it wasn't for you." She sits up as well and she does have to admit that she prefers watching the fish swim around from her previous position.

"Stop pretending like you didn't love that movie." Chloe rolls her eyes as she gets to her feet. Aubrey opens her mouth to protest but Chloe interjects with, "Stop pretending!" Aubrey just glares at Chloe and wrinkles her nose.

Chloe pulls Aubrey to her feet and they finally walk out of the reef exhibit and back into the center of the aquarium. Aubrey doesn't protest when Chloe suggests they go see the dolphins before looking at the last exhibit and even though Chloe can't tell if Aubrey is happy to let someone else lead the way, she figures the fact that Aubrey is letting someone else take control for a change is a start. Baby steps.

As they watch the dolphins swimming around in their tank, Aubrey remarks, "Did you know that dolphins are the only animals that give birth to their babies feet first? Well, tail first I guess."

Chloe arches an eyebrow. "Did you know that dolphins are one of the only animals that have sex for pleasure?" She smirks. Aubrey's not the only one that is full of fun information.

Aubrey's cheeks get red and she purses her lips. It's not her fault. You know, hormones and all that. Apparently she can't hear her girlfriend mention the word 'sex' without letting her mind wander. She's worse than a teenager.

"Maybe you should save those facts for when there aren't kids around." Aubrey points out, indicating the kids standing to Chloe's right.

Chloe gives her an innocent look. "What? It's not like I was talking about the blowhole or-"

Aubrey laughs and grabs Chloe's hand, dragging her away. "Let's go before we get kicked out." She shakes her head. "I swear, I can't take you anywhere."

Chloe scoffs. "Stop pretending you don't love me."

And yeah, of course Aubrey does. How could she not? I mean, just look at her.

The last exhibit they have to walk through is the aptly titled "Ocean Voyager," and has four whale sharks and three gigantic manta rays, along with dozens of sharks and countless types of fish. Whenever Chloe goes into this exhibit she can't help but be amazed by all the creatures that are swimming around in the ocean and by the world that she knows nothing about.

"Did you know that this is the largest aquarium exhibit in the world?" Aubrey questions as they walk through the tunnel that makes it seem like they're walking under water. Sharks and fish and rays swim past on almost all sides.

"Do you know something about everything?" Chloe questions, giving her girlfriend an affectionate look.

Aubrey shrugs. "I know a lot of stuff about a lot of stuff." She informs Chloe. "There's nothing wrong with being well educated."

"I'm signing you up for _Jeopardy_." Ever since the idea first occurred to Chloe when they went to zoo she hasn't let it go in spite of Aubrey's numerous protests. "As soon as we get home."

Even though there are plenty of animals to see in this exhibit, they don't spend as long in this room as they did the reef exhibit. Aubrey does have to admit that it's pretty entertaining to watch one of the enormous manta rays do back flips instead of swimming around like the other animals in the tank.

"I'm hungry." Chloe remarks as they watch one of the whale sharks cruise by.

Aubrey arches an eyebrow. "We just ate."

"Like…two hours ago." Chloe pouts. "I'm getting hungry. Let's go somewhere and have lunch."

Aubrey laughs and shakes her head. "I swear you're like a little kid sometimes."

"Stop pretending." Is all Chloe says as they walk out of the exhibit and Aubrey tries to hide her smile.

They walk into the gift shop, which you are required to go through if you want to get to the outside world. Aubrey is pretty sure that there are plenty of pissed off parents in Atlanta because of this specific design in the floor plan. The air is full of the din of children begging for stuffed sea otters or candy whale sharks. She's glad that she doesn't have to deal with those crocodile tears and pleas. Plus, there's nothing that she wants to buy so-

Aubrey stops suddenly and Chloe looks at her, confused. "What's wrong?"

"I forgot something." Aubrey says, turning back toward the entrance of the gift shop and the aquarium itself. "I'll be right back."

Aubrey's gone before Chloe can ask her what the heck she's talking about or go after her. Her curiosity is differently peaked by the time Aubrey walks back into the gift shop carrying a plastic bag with the aquarium logo on the side. Chloe gives her a suspicious look. "What did you get?"

Aubrey hands her the bag. "I felt like we couldn't leave without our picture." She says. "Since it is our first trip to the aquarium."

Chloe grins. "Is it awesome?" She questions, reaching into the bag. "I bet it's awesome."

"I don't know, I haven't seen it." Aubrey tells her as they walk back out into the Atlanta heat and humidity. "I thought we should look at it together. That way I could say _I told you so_ when it's obvious that you ruined the picture."

"I refuse to believe that." Chloe says shaking her head. "It's going to be aca-awesome."

They get in the car and Chloe takes the picture out of the bag and opens the super cheesy Georgia Aquarium photo folder that all the pictures come in. The photographer did in fact snap the picture right as Chloe pressed her lips against Aubrey's cheek. Aubrey is laughing and Chloe instantly falls in love with the picture and the version of Aubrey that it's captured; she looks so happy and carefree, so unguarded. It's perfect.

Chloe grins at Aubrey and shows her the picture. "See, I told you I made it awesome."

Aubrey rolls her eyes but smiles. Even she can't argue with that.

**end. **


End file.
